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Pajaro Bay #8
Riverstone Cottage
Heartwarming books with characters you'll Welcome to Pajaro Bay.A lonely widow and widower are brought together by a twenty-year-old mystery.When she was young, Lacy Jasperson had been horribly hurt by an unknown assailant. In the years since, she's found healing in the little beach town of Pajaro Bay. Now she's alone, a widow living in a lovely little cottage by the sea, trying to make peace with her grief and loss, and move forward.But when a private detective comes to town, digging up the past and forcing her to face what she's kept so long hidden, she realizes she can't move forward until she finally deals with the trauma that drove her to the village all those years ago.Rico Gallagher sees the same grief in Lacy's eyes that he feels in his own heart. She's lost someone just like he has. He can't imagine he'll ever find peace again, but when he's forced to spend time with the lonely widow, he feels a healing he's never felt before.Can they figure out the truth about what happened all those years ago? Can they heal from their losses and find love again? Can they bring peace, not just to themselves, but to someone else whose loss is even greater than their own?Get away to the little California beach town where the cottages are cute, the neighbors are nosy, and it's always possible to find your personal Happily Ever After.The Pajaro Bay novels can be read in any order. Collect them Fox CottageBoardwalk CottageHoneymoon CottageLighthouse CottageRum Cake CottageSongbird CottageSunshine CottageRiverstone CottageHarbor View Cottage
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2021
778 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 15, 2022
I really enjoy the Pajaro Bay series. It’s set on the foggy coast of California in a small town with a series of cute architecturally significant cottages. In RIVERSTONE COTTAGE, Lacey ran away from college because of a traumatic event and was about to end things by running out into the sea. She was saved by an older man who she later fell in love with and married. Now, years later, she’s a widow, and a private investigator, Rico, has come to town. He knows her real name isn’t Lacey, and Lacey is worried he won’t let her past stay in the past. This was one of the darker Pajaro Bay books, but I enjoyed the romantic suspense plot, and the way Lacey and Rico worked together to figure out what happened to Lacey on campus two decades prior and solve a serial rape/murder case that had gone cold.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
October 27, 2021
A story of strength, love and grief as well as a mystery that stretches back over twenty years. I loved Lacy and Rico as they grew throughout the story. I love Pajaro Bay and wish that I could move there and meet all of these likable and relatable characters.
July 3, 2025
I want to move to Pajaro bay! The elegance of Barbara Cool Lee's prose mixed with the quirky and cozy setting of Pajaro Bay, characters you want to hang out with (most of them anyway), an intrigue that will blow you away in the end, along with the sweetest romance ever, is winning combination! To say I loved it is an understatement.
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October 6, 2023free ebook
she was going to drown herself in the ocean after some man had done something bad to her. a man came and saved her. she lived with him and they became common law spouses. he was famous for his wood sculptures. they lived in a stone covered cottage he had built himself
a well dressed man came after he died and said there was a woman in a grave with her name on it but they did a dna test and knew it wasnt her. hes trying to find out who the woman in the grave is. her body was found at the park where something bad had happened to her, but she never told anyone
they thought the body was hers, but the dna didnt match. the man was looking for her and found her, and was trying to figure out who the girl was and who killed her
they investigated and found the prof, and his son. they thought it was him but it wasnt
it was the brilliant boy in her class and his now wife who was also in the same class. she got the girls for him to rape then killed them
the sad girl and the man married each other
she was going to drown herself in the ocean after some man had done something bad to her. a man came and saved her. she lived with him and they became common law spouses. he was famous for his wood sculptures. they lived in a stone covered cottage he had built himself
a well dressed man came after he died and said there was a woman in a grave with her name on it but they did a dna test and knew it wasnt her. hes trying to find out who the woman in the grave is. her body was found at the park where something bad had happened to her, but she never told anyone
they thought the body was hers, but the dna didnt match. the man was looking for her and found her, and was trying to figure out who the girl was and who killed her
they investigated and found the prof, and his son. they thought it was him but it wasnt
it was the brilliant boy in her class and his now wife who was also in the same class. she got the girls for him to rape then killed them
the sad girl and the man married each other
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2024
If you’ve read the publishers blurb you know what it’s about -a mystery over what happened to a girl who went missing from her home town and assumed dead 20 years ago. She’s very much alive however, living in the quaint seaside town of Pájaro Bay, CA. under a new name. When a private eye comes looking for her, she and he try to solve the mystery of who the girl in a grave was, back home when it wasn’t her. As their personal stories evolve, they are both grieving losses of their partners and an attraction between them seems inevitable.
Not a bad read, but not a riveting one either. There are several books in this series. This was not as light hearted as some of the others but keeps your interest. There is mention of rapes and sexual assault, but nothing descriptive or graphic in any way.
Not a bad read, but not a riveting one either. There are several books in this series. This was not as light hearted as some of the others but keeps your interest. There is mention of rapes and sexual assault, but nothing descriptive or graphic in any way.
June 29, 2021
The latest from Pajaro Bay, a delightful series set in an equally delightful seaside town, a place where people find themselves when they need time to heal; a place to find solace and a place full of like minded souls to help, protect and heal them.
Lacy found herself in Pajaro Bay some 20 years before, after a traumatic event in her life, she had lived those 20 years in peace, whilst never fully dealing with what had happened to her, she found a form of peace. Now someone was there trying to make her remember, could she, should she? Could she move forward once and for all and fully heal?
I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a couple of evenings. I can't wait for the next tale from this lovely seaside town.
Lacy found herself in Pajaro Bay some 20 years before, after a traumatic event in her life, she had lived those 20 years in peace, whilst never fully dealing with what had happened to her, she found a form of peace. Now someone was there trying to make her remember, could she, should she? Could she move forward once and for all and fully heal?
I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a couple of evenings. I can't wait for the next tale from this lovely seaside town.
July 8, 2025
Mystery when two people who had recently lost their significant others, come together to solve a 20 year-old mystery. After Elizabeth, an art student, was drugged and raped she went into hiding ending up being saved by a renown artist from suicide. Living together as a common law wife, some 20 years later she is contacted by Rico, a private detective, to solve a similar case during the same time and place as (now known as Lacey's) crime occurred.. Together, with their common goals, they work towards that mission while developing feelings towards one another. Enjoyed the description of small town coastal California and the expanded emotional aspect of the story. Found the conclusion to be a bit disconcerting. A good book for someone who enjoys murder mysteries and all that goes with it.
January 28, 2024
I Didn't See That Coming!
RIVERSTONE COTTAGE was intriguing. Furthermore, its pulsating plot was filled with suspense, tension, some action, a couple of twists and turns, peace, and love. Lacy (Elizabeth) and Rico, the protagonists, worked very hard to solve what had happened to Lacy twenty years before and whose body was left for dead in the park around the same time. I really liked the author's attention to detail she provided. I felt as if I were there at the scenes. Overall, I liked the captivating narrative.
RIVERSTONE COTTAGE was intriguing. Furthermore, its pulsating plot was filled with suspense, tension, some action, a couple of twists and turns, peace, and love. Lacy (Elizabeth) and Rico, the protagonists, worked very hard to solve what had happened to Lacy twenty years before and whose body was left for dead in the park around the same time. I really liked the author's attention to detail she provided. I felt as if I were there at the scenes. Overall, I liked the captivating narrative.
June 21, 2025
On kobo (EPub 3 DRM-Free) 1230008152893, 174 pages (2024 pub)
Pajaro Bay is usually a quiet sanctuary, picturesque for visitors to enjoy, a 'village' where the grape-vine is faster than a telegram (or email... ) but sometimes the outside world impinges...
Twenty years ago a young woman arrives, traumatised and continues walking into the ocean. She is rescued and sheltered by a local artist... Twenty years on and a private detective arrives seeking her - to solve a long-lasting cold case...
Not quite as cozy as some of these books but an enjoyable experience, with the added element of the mystery.
Pajaro Bay is usually a quiet sanctuary, picturesque for visitors to enjoy, a 'village' where the grape-vine is faster than a telegram (or email... ) but sometimes the outside world impinges...
Twenty years ago a young woman arrives, traumatised and continues walking into the ocean. She is rescued and sheltered by a local artist... Twenty years on and a private detective arrives seeking her - to solve a long-lasting cold case...
Not quite as cozy as some of these books but an enjoyable experience, with the added element of the mystery.
October 11, 2021
Great book!
I love the Pajaro Bay series. My take away from this book is to recognize your own feelings, to honor those feelings And to voice those feelings to others. Trust Is a big issue in this book: trusting your feelings, trusting yourself, and trusting others. And even though we are taught not to trust strangers, sometimes trusting strangers is good and even necessary, which brings us back to the trust issue.
I love the Pajaro Bay series. My take away from this book is to recognize your own feelings, to honor those feelings And to voice those feelings to others. Trust Is a big issue in this book: trusting your feelings, trusting yourself, and trusting others. And even though we are taught not to trust strangers, sometimes trusting strangers is good and even necessary, which brings us back to the trust issue.
October 15, 2023
Great series
I just finished another book in the Panadol Bay series. I've read 4 so far, and it is true that you don't have to read in any order. The Riverstone Cottage was a bit different than the others in that it was more mysterious and dark. But they all took place in this wonderful little magical place called Paradox Bay. I think I have had my fill of this series and probably won't be reading the rest. Cute series.
I just finished another book in the Panadol Bay series. I've read 4 so far, and it is true that you don't have to read in any order. The Riverstone Cottage was a bit different than the others in that it was more mysterious and dark. But they all took place in this wonderful little magical place called Paradox Bay. I think I have had my fill of this series and probably won't be reading the rest. Cute series.
November 12, 2023
Hiding no more
Lacy's peaceful sanctuary was certainly rocked by the handsome stranger. Her life with Jack sounds wonderfully restorative and his loss after 20 years left such an emptiness in Lacy. I'm glad Rico was so understanding and gentle. I was certainly surprised to learn who the rapist and murderer were, providing an exciting end to the case. But even better was the happy ending.
Lacy's peaceful sanctuary was certainly rocked by the handsome stranger. Her life with Jack sounds wonderfully restorative and his loss after 20 years left such an emptiness in Lacy. I'm glad Rico was so understanding and gentle. I was certainly surprised to learn who the rapist and murderer were, providing an exciting end to the case. But even better was the happy ending.
September 29, 2024
Sanctuary
Sometimes it's nice to find a place in the sun to relax. Lacy needed the warmth and care of Pajaro Bay. Jack found her and Lacy found sanctuary. Then Jack died and a tall dark stranger came asking questions that brought back memories of a life she thought she had forgotten. Miss Lee has written a very interesting story of loss and new beginnings. I recommend it and will continue on to the next in the series.
Sometimes it's nice to find a place in the sun to relax. Lacy needed the warmth and care of Pajaro Bay. Jack found her and Lacy found sanctuary. Then Jack died and a tall dark stranger came asking questions that brought back memories of a life she thought she had forgotten. Miss Lee has written a very interesting story of loss and new beginnings. I recommend it and will continue on to the next in the series.
October 3, 2023
Beautiful story of redemption
Caught me from the first sentence, two sad people who found their answers and each other. Plus an apparently unsolvable mystery that yielded its answer due to perseverance, good detective skills and love. Didn’t put it down till the last page was read. Thank you for letting me be in a new place for a time.
Caught me from the first sentence, two sad people who found their answers and each other. Plus an apparently unsolvable mystery that yielded its answer due to perseverance, good detective skills and love. Didn’t put it down till the last page was read. Thank you for letting me be in a new place for a time.
October 30, 2023
Love finds a way
An art college, waking up lost and violated and making her way to Pajaro Bay to heal with a change of name only to be tracked down by a detective years later who wants to know who a woman in a grave is who looks like her in her old hometown. Together they piece the clues trying to find out who did this
An art college, waking up lost and violated and making her way to Pajaro Bay to heal with a change of name only to be tracked down by a detective years later who wants to know who a woman in a grave is who looks like her in her old hometown. Together they piece the clues trying to find out who did this
June 21, 2025
Riverstone Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee. (Pajaro Bay, #8)
This is an emotional story about crime, choices, people's reaction even though they themselves were not directly involved and how people deal with the aftermath of violent acts. The story's descriptions and emotions were very sensitively handled. I was engaged with the story and did not see the twist coming. This is a stand-alone book even though it is book 8 in a series. A great read.
This is an emotional story about crime, choices, people's reaction even though they themselves were not directly involved and how people deal with the aftermath of violent acts. The story's descriptions and emotions were very sensitively handled. I was engaged with the story and did not see the twist coming. This is a stand-alone book even though it is book 8 in a series. A great read.
June 29, 2025
GOOD READ!
Barbara Cool Lee did a good job. Elizabeth Prescott was a freshman and something happened and she was rushing into the ocean when a man came out to save her. She is still grieving. Ricardo Gallagher comes to her home in Panjaro Bay. Very good book with ins and outs. Jeanette Stracner
Barbara Cool Lee did a good job. Elizabeth Prescott was a freshman and something happened and she was rushing into the ocean when a man came out to save her. She is still grieving. Ricardo Gallagher comes to her home in Panjaro Bay. Very good book with ins and outs. Jeanette Stracner
August 20, 2025
Lost is not forever
Sometimes we feel lost and unheard and other times we have no idea we are really lost. Pajaro Bay feels like a place where quirky characters and hope come together to bring healing to the lost. And mysteries are solved in a quaint community where everyone brings their best talents to share!
Sometimes we feel lost and unheard and other times we have no idea we are really lost. Pajaro Bay feels like a place where quirky characters and hope come together to bring healing to the lost. And mysteries are solved in a quaint community where everyone brings their best talents to share!
September 23, 2025
I looked forward to reading a little more of this book each evening. I found only a few mnor typos and no f-bombs; I appreciated that.
The book describes crimes with similarities to a big story in the news now. Thank goodness the ways the crimes ended, even though heartbreaking in both the book and reality, do differ.
The book describes crimes with similarities to a big story in the news now. Thank goodness the ways the crimes ended, even though heartbreaking in both the book and reality, do differ.
June 6, 2021
Lovely
Can a murder mystery be lovely?
This one is. Love Pajaro Bay! Excellent tale. Excellent sleuthing.
Even like the supposedly wild goose chase Rico was sent one wasn't.
Just excellent!
Can a murder mystery be lovely?
This one is. Love Pajaro Bay! Excellent tale. Excellent sleuthing.
Even like the supposedly wild goose chase Rico was sent one wasn't.
Just excellent!
October 14, 2021
Wow!
Excellent story of lost girls who have been sexually attacked and then ignored! Really well developed plot, great characters, and a poignant story of emotionally damaged couple seeking peace.
Excellent story of lost girls who have been sexually attacked and then ignored! Really well developed plot, great characters, and a poignant story of emotionally damaged couple seeking peace.
May 2, 2022
Riverstone Cottage
Really enjoyed reading this great story. So happy they were able to find the killer. Never would have guessed this one. Loved the ending. Highly recommend reading.
Really enjoyed reading this great story. So happy they were able to find the killer. Never would have guessed this one. Loved the ending. Highly recommend reading.
August 14, 2023
Pain and suffering that chilled me to the bone.
The Pajaro Bay series has been a mixture of mystery and suspense. Each book provides another look into this small quaint community with its quirky characters who never seen to find a way to be plain and ordinary. I love it.Enjoy!
The Pajaro Bay series has been a mixture of mystery and suspense. Each book provides another look into this small quaint community with its quirky characters who never seen to find a way to be plain and ordinary. I love it.Enjoy!
October 12, 2023
wasn’t hard to give this book a 5!
The author hit all of my senses with this book. I laughed out loud a few times, I could smell the seaside, cried gently in a few places, and smiled with joy in a few places. I look forward to additional books in the series
The author hit all of my senses with this book. I laughed out loud a few times, I could smell the seaside, cried gently in a few places, and smiled with joy in a few places. I look forward to additional books in the series
October 16, 2023
Remarkable
I like books of healing, and this is one of the best. There is a strong sense of place, and a most interesting, quirky place indeed, as well as a intriguing mystery. This goes on my very selective "Read again" list.
I like books of healing, and this is one of the best. There is a strong sense of place, and a most interesting, quirky place indeed, as well as a intriguing mystery. This goes on my very selective "Read again" list.
November 9, 2023
A romantic mystery
A poignant story of two quite opposite people who work together to try and solve a Jane Doe mystery. Interesting and some quirky characters, plenty of twists and turns. An entertaining read !
A poignant story of two quite opposite people who work together to try and solve a Jane Doe mystery. Interesting and some quirky characters, plenty of twists and turns. An entertaining read !
October 2, 2024
What the Heck
I almost gave this mystery/love story four stars. But despite some over the top descriptions of the male protagonist, (ie. A black ops spy)it was so entertaining I gave it five.
I almost gave this mystery/love story four stars. But despite some over the top descriptions of the male protagonist, (ie. A black ops spy)it was so entertaining I gave it five.
October 2, 2024
The book was hard to take breaks while reading. Very intriguing and comforting at the same time. This is the only time I could not deduce the killer/rapist until revealed at the very end. Well written.
October 7, 2024
Enjoyed spending time in Pajaro Bay. Romance, intrigue, twists and turns and an ending that I did not expect are all on my list as I read books. Kept me going till the end. Will be reading more from this author.
October 24, 2024
heartbreaking and healing
A heartbreaking story of finding peace when they have been hurt and lost. Finding healing peace after so much pain. Joyful and sorrowful but heartwarming as well.
A heartbreaking story of finding peace when they have been hurt and lost. Finding healing peace after so much pain. Joyful and sorrowful but heartwarming as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews